One of the most tasty and competitive activities of the annual Solvang Danish Days celebration are the aebleskiver eating contests.

One of the most tasty and competitive activities of the annual Solvang Danish Days celebration are the aebleskiver eating contests. Aebleskiver (pronounced aye-bill-ski-ver, singular and plural) are light, fluffy Danish “pancake balls” served with raspberry jam. The objective of the contest: eat as many free aebleskiver as you can in five minutes with your hands clasped behind your back (use of jam is optional but recommended). The Solvang Danish Days record is 18 aebleskiver! Each winner received an authentic cast-iron aebleskiver cooking pan. Coordinated by volunteer Kyle Abello and overseen by Solvang Mayor Jim Richardson, hungry participants gathered at the corner of First Street and Copenhagen Drive in downtown Solvang at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 21 and Sunday, September 22, 2013.

Brennan Dellinger, age 13 of Solvang, ate 9 aebleskiver, his first time competing.

Ages 16 Years and Over

Brian Hanrahan, age 35 of Santa Barbara, ate 12 aebleskiver. He competed for the first time in 2012 and came in second place and said, “Losing last year fired me up to win this year!”

For guests who just wanted to enjoy a traditional aebleskiver breakfast each morning from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the Solvang Danish Days Foundation volunteers served three aebleskiver topped with jam, coffee, juice and milk for $7 per person (and with Danish sausage only $8 per person). According to organizers, more than 1,500 aebleskiver breakfasts were sold on Saturday morning and 1,300 aebleskiver breakfasts were sold on Sunday for around 2,800 breakfasts (more than 8,000 aebleskiver total). To learn more about aebleskiver, the recipe and history, visit